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i had privately mentioned to him how i was worried that all of the hype on here has me worried... i think the gengetsu are great knives, but they arent the best knives on the face of the planet. I am a firm believer that managing expectations is rather important... i want people to have a realistic view of what they are getting. After not having them in for years, I think peoples memory of them might be a bit jaded.
 
labor of love said:
Just to reiterate, everything I've said is just my OPINION. Gengetsu is just a knife that is perfect for me. There's plenty of people around the forum who openly declare their fave knife they've used so far-that's all I'm really doing. Your tastes may not be similar to mine. Forgive me for pointing out something that might be obvious to some but not so much with others.
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I am an enthusiastic person, and I really love the vibrations/beats/enlightenments and purity you get from such a situation/condition.
(Forgive my poor English).
I know there are many dislikers of this attitude of life.
I really enjoy that you are having a blast and expressing it!
By the way, I like your name, maybe I will steal it some time in the future
 
JBroida said:
i had privately mentioned to him how i was worried that all of the hype on here has me worried... i think the gengetsu are great knives, but they arent the best knives on the face of the planet. I am a firm believer that managing expectations is rather important... i want people to have a realistic view of what they are getting. After not having them in for years, I think peoples memory of them might be a bit jaded.
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Respect Jon!
 
JBroida said:
i had privately mentioned to him how i was worried that all of the hype on here has me worried... i think the gengetsu are great knives, but they arent the best knives on the face of the planet. I am a firm believer that managing expectations is rather important... i want people to have a realistic view of what they are getting. After not having them in for years, I think peoples memory of them might be a bit jaded.
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That being said the overwhelming consensus is they are a great bang for the buck. Nothing at all wrong with that, in fact everything is right about it.

So I'm trying to decide...White #2 or semi-stainless?
 
I'm with Panda on this...but the fact they almost never show up on b/s/t is the real clue to how good these knives are in use.
 
I agree that stainless clad is harder to get the sharpening scratches out of, I think its definitely a build design that's being adopted by other makers though.

Personally I'm a fan and it was a tough decision wither to go White #2 or SSS. I went with the latter, I'm decent with the stones so I think I'll be able achieve the sharpness I expect.
 
What does semi stainless do better than white #2, other than corrosion resistance? Or is it just personal preference?
 
ewebb10 said:
What does semi stainless do better than white #2, other than corrosion resistance? Or is it just personal preference?
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Edge retention and toughness and durability too... the white 2 sharpens more easily and gets sharper
 
it depends... sometimes better edge retention means more in those cases, as that will mean less sharpening. But either should be fine, as neither is hard to sharpen. But if ease of sharpening is what you want, the white #2 is the way to go.
 
With carbon core you should get a nice contrast against stainless clad once patina sets. Unless semi-stainless is on a reactive side.
 
the semi-stainless will patina slowly, but you will get contrast over time... it will just take a lot longer
 
This will be the second SS Gengetsu I have purchased from Jon, loved the first one so much, I would consider this knife to be a workhorse, FWIW I found sharpening to be pretty straight forward and edge retention is also very good.
 
Just received my gengetsu. Not surprised with the awesome care put into the packaging from JKI. I think I kinda take it for granted nowadays lol.

But anyway. All I can say is wow! Light and nimble yet doesn't feel like a laser. Super sharp. IIRC I think it's just as sharp as my mizuno honyaki white2 after paying for the optimum sharpening. Don't know if thats the standard sharpness OOTB of a gengetsu. Love everything about it. Wish I have the 210mm too. Maybe take a second job? Haha.

I love it. Stunning knife!
 
Got my 210 SSS yesterday too. I'll admit that I was surprised at how it first felt on the board, very light and stiff. Edge was good, but I like a bit more tooth to it so a few swipes across the Takenoko did the trick.

I prepped a Thai pork stir-fry so was able to mess with onions, peppers, garlic, ginger, chili's, long beans. It flew through everything. The knife is quite light, far lighter than my 210 Kato WH, Shig kasumi, DT ITK but its also more nimble in the hand even though the balance is a good inch in front of the pinch grip. I rocked some herbs too and the profile handled them perfect even though the knife has a HUGE/useful flat spot. The core steel kept a great edge, defiantly feels like stainless and is pretty reactive. After one small prep session, the core has quite a bit of patina on it. Food separation is excellent and it flys through onions like nobody business.

We like to discuss workhorse knives around here. This is defiantly a workhorse knife. Robust spine, thin but not fragile edge and plows through food with control and finesse. Like many of you. I never thought this blade would come back to life. I'm very thankful to Jon for bringing this knife back from the dead. Its a beauty!
 
Does anyone with a Tanaka Ginsan Nashiji able to make a comparison with the Gengetsu semi-stainless? I prefer heavier workhorse knives.
 
I've both.

To me the Tanaka is a very good cutter, though not as thin at tip nor as good with food release as the Gengetsu. But it's also half the coin. The Gengetsu is a better knife by almost any measure including sharpening. And it just feels right.

I do some prep work in a busy kitchen where a knife laid down may become a knife used. A little chaotic. There I use the Tanaka. I won't cry if it's knocked off a table.
It's a workhorse in the sense that it will do anything that's thrown at it and can take a little abuse. And at the end of the day I can buy another with a few clicks.

I also do prep for an off-site caterer and for product demonstrations. There I have more control of my surroundings, frequently have the kitchen to myself. I use the Gengetsu. It too will do anything thrown at it, is more fun to use and is a better knife. I don't abuse it but it would probably take some. But if it took a hit I would need to find a "safe space".

I've had a few knives come and go but both of these are keepers. If trying to choose just one, get the Gengetsu while in stock.
 
My 210 and 240 Gengetsu came in today, just gotta say wow. What a treat to use.
 
Can anyone comment on specific elements of performance please?

I.e.: performance in hard foods, wet foods/food release, tomatoes, tip performance, etc.

Direct comparisons of these elements of performance with other well known knives would be great if possible.
 
To be honest from digging up threads on Gengetsu (before the restock), I'd gotten the impression that it was going to be a bit heftier and thicker than mine is. Maybe my understanding of middleweight is heavy compared to others'. It's perplexing me because it seems to have similar spine specs and look & feel of the grind compared to a couple of others I have, yet it seems to just slip through foods a little bit more effortlessly. And the tip is just silly.
 
I think it is because it has a type of s-grind, which makes it lighter than similar knives with convex grind. Also, chestnut must be heavier than ho wood, so the balance feels more neutral to me.
 
My gengetsu arrived but had to be sent back immediately because of a chipped tip in shipping. Jon is taking care of me but still :bashhead:

so close...
 
Nemo said:
Can anyone comment on specific elements of performance please?

I.e.: performance in hard foods, wet foods/food release, tomatoes, tip performance, etc.

Direct comparisons of these elements of performance with other well known knives would be great if possible.
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I second this, please! I'm in the market for my first Japanese knife and the Gengetsu has made it to my short list along with Ginga.

I'm curious to get folks impressions of these.

Kevin.
 
I decided to do a side by side with my 210mm Shun Edo I was coming from and my new 240mm Gengetsu, since the Gengetsu felt so light in the hand. Despite being shorter and having a lot less distal taper, the Shun was a whopping 281g vs 165 on my Gengetsu. I think the steel bolster and huge handle are where most of the extra weight was. Night and day difference in feel and balance between the 2.

Can't wait to do more actual testing this weekend!
 
daveb said:
I've both.

To me the Tanaka is a very good cutter, though not as thin at tip nor as good with food release as the Gengetsu. But it's also half the coin. The Gengetsu is a better knife by almost any measure including sharpening. And it just feels right.

I do some prep work in a busy kitchen where a knife laid down may become a knife used. A little chaotic. There I use the Tanaka. I won't cry if it's knocked off a table.
It's a workhorse in the sense that it will do anything that's thrown at it and can take a little abuse. And at the end of the day I can buy another with a few clicks.

I also do prep for an off-site caterer and for product demonstrations. There I have more control of my surroundings, frequently have the kitchen to myself. I use the Gengetsu. It too will do anything thrown at it, is more fun to use and is a better knife. I don't abuse it but it would probably take some. But if it took a hit I would need to find a "safe space".

I've had a few knives come and go but both of these are keepers. If trying to choose just one, get the Gengetsu while in stock.
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That is awesome advice daveb! Much appreciated.
 
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